Jet-propelled toy



June 30, 1953 D. c. DOZIER JET-PROPELLED TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1948 DAN/EL CDOZ/EQ June 30, 1953 D. c. DOZIER 2,643,882

JET-PROPELLED TOY Filed July 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 66 66 20 PET 5 5% %M;%

0.: tonnegzs Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.lET-"FROPELLED TOY Daniel Dozier, Norfolk, Va. 7 Application July 8,1948, Serial No. 37.572

Claims. 1

Thi invention relates to an air jet propelled toy. 7

It has been proposed to provide toys for children employing as the propelling means some form of fluid jet to provide a reaction force for moving the toy. Many toys of this character are objectionable by reason of the expense of manufacturing them and the danger frequently involved in the handling of the toys. For example, some toys employ a small tank containing fluid under pressure, which is somewhat dangerous be cause of the possibility that the tank might ex plode, particularly through careless handling by a child. Other forms of devices contemplate the generation of a gas, such as carbon dioxide, to provide the necessary propelling jet. Devices of this character also are somewhat dangerous and are not only expensive to manufacture but also expensive when it is necessary to replace the source of pressure for providing the jets.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel form of jet propelled toy wherein the air under pressure is derived from an ordinary rubber or similar inflatable toy bal loon, thus providing a toy which is completely safe in the hands of a small child, and wherein the expense of replacing the source of pressure is eliminated by the fact that the balloon employed may be repeatedly inflated.

A further object is to provide a toy of the character referred to, wherein the balloon or similar source of air pressure, being necessarily bulky, is so arranged as to rotate on its own axis during the operation of the toy, thus preventing the generation of any wind resistance by the balloon in the operation of the toy.

A further object is to provide such a device that lends itself readily to the use of different forms of vehicles adapted to be propelled by the jet, for example, toy automobiles, airplanes, etc.

A further object is to provide a toy of this character which lends itself readily to the propelling of a light toy airplane which is easily almost counterbalanced so as to provide in itself sufficient lift to rise from the ground or other supporting surface during the operation of the toy, thus simulating the operation of an airplane.-

Other objects and advantagesof the inventio will become apparent during" the course of, the;

following description.

' a lateral tubular extension 26, frictionally en- Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view on line.

3-3 of Figure 2, parts being shown in elevation, Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified form of y,

Figure 5 is a section on line 5+5 of Figure 4, parts being broken away,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on line 66 of Figure 5, parts being shown in elevation,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the balloon supporting thimble and associated elements, and

Figure 8 is a detailed perspective view of an operating collar connected to a second wheel toy operable in conjunction with the jetfpropelled vehicle of the toy.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the numeral I ll designates a base which may be placed on any supporting surface ll (Figure 3) such as the floor or a table. The base is provided with a central pedestal l2 on the top surface of which is arranged a bearing disc l3. A yoke M is arranged on the disc l3 with a screw or other fastening element l5 extending through the bottom thereof, through the disc [3 and into the base l2 to rotatably support the yoke on the disc it.

A tubular member it, open at its top and having' a closed bottom I9, is arranged between the arms of the yoke and pivotally connected thereto by pins 28 for swinging movement on a horizontal axis. A balloonorsimilar inflatable member 2| has a lower neck portion 22 tightly fitting over the upper end of thetube 18. This balloon is inflatable by mouth or otherwise in a manner to be described and a light convolute spring 23 fric' ti'o'na'lly surrounds the balloon neck 22 and extends upwardly thereof to support the balloon against completely falling over when deflated.

Below the balloon neck 22 the tube It carries gaged in an opening 27 in a lead or other counterweight 28 provided for a purpose to be described, At the other end of the opening 21 is frictionally engaged a tube 29 through which the balloon maybe inflated. Any suitable means may be provided for preventing the escape of air through the tubular member 25 when the balloon is inflated. For example, a simple form of springpressed checkvalve 30 may engage the inner end of the tubular member 26 for this purpose.

Diagrammatioally opposite the tubular member 26 is arranged an arm 34 in the form of alight tube having a passage (Figure 3) therethrough. The inner end of the arm 34 projects through the tube l8 for communication with the interior thereof and is frictionally held in position. At its. outer end, the arm 34 is engaged with a light simple form of vehicle body 36. This body preferably is provided with a lateral extension 31 in which is formed a passage 38 in the end of which the adjacent end of the arm 34 is frictionally engaged. The passage 38 communicates with a passage 39 formed longitudinally of the vehicle body 36 and this passage is provided at its open end with a discharge tube 40 as clearly shown in Figure 3.

may inflate the balloon 2| by blowing into the tube 29 (Figure 2) or tube 25 (Figure '1). Assuming that the toy in Figure 1 is being operated, it will be noted that the airplane vehicle slightly overbalances the counterweight 28 so that the wheels 44 normally rest on the surface II. The balloon 2| is preferably inflated to a-substantial pressure, and a balloon is preferably employed because of the greater volume of air it will hold, thus resulting in a slower drop in pressure as the toy operates than would be true of an air pressure reservoir which is smaller and inelastic I in nature.

The vehicle body 36 may be of any desired 3 type, and regardless of its type, it is preferably provided with supporting wheels 44 'eng'ageable with the surface ll when the device is not in operation. These wheels are angularly arranged as shown in Figure '3 to be tangent to a circle having its center at the axis of the screw or pin Hi.

In the present instance, the vehicle is shown as an airplane having a wing 45 supported on the upper edge of a vertical fin or rib 46. The body 33 and the elements 45 and 46 may be secured in position in any suitable manner, for example, by glue or cement.

v A form of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 8 inclusive includes many of the parts previously described and all parts common to both forms of the invention have been indicated by the same reference numerals. The description" of such parts need not be repeated. In this form of the invention, the vehicle body 36 carries a'simulation 50 of an automobile preferably having a'figure of a man therein as shown in Figure 4. For the amusement of a child, the vehicle 50 may be assumed in operation to be exceeding the speed limit and to be followed by a motorcycle policeman 5! on a motorcycle 52. The latter vehicle will be supported by a light radial arm 53 which need not be a tube since it is preferably not jet propelled. The inner end of the arm 53 may be slotted as at 54 to receive the projecting ends 55 of a ring 56 (Figure 8) and the slot 40 may be glued or cemented in proper relation to the ring ends 55. I

The ring 56 is rotatable through a limited arc of a circle relative to the axis of rotation of the toy. 'In the modified form of the invention the counterweight may be eliminated, in which case the tubular member 26 will be the means through which the device is inflated. This tubular member, as shown in Figure 7, is engageable with a depending finger 58 to impart rotational movement to the arm 53 and motorcycle 52 when the device is in operation. A sheet metal stop member 59 is bent around the fingers 55 as shown in Figures '7 and 8 and is provided with a depending finger or fingers 60 engageable with the arm 34 to limit swinging movement of the motorcycle 52 relative to the automobile 50 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 The circle of rotation of the motorcycle 52 is preferably slightly smaller than the circle of rotation of the automobile so that the motorcycle 52 can approach the automobile at one side thereof to simulate the action of a policeman approaching the automobile to stop the latter.

Operation In either form of the inventiorna child readily After the balloon has been inflated, the airplane is released, and preferably is given a slight push forwardly into the direction of the arrow in Figure l to overcome its inertia, thus eliminating the necessity for the air pressure performing this function and accordingly lengthening the period of operation of the toy.

The airplane and associated elements are made of very light materials, for example, light plastic v or basswood. The wing 45 isslightly inclined upwardly toward its advancing edge and since the airplane'only slightly overbalances the counterweight '28, it almost immediately takes ofi when its rotation commences about the axis of the pin l5. The air is discharged from the balloon through the tubular arm 34, passages 38 and 39, and discharge tube 40, the discharge being tangent to the circle of rotation of the airplane. The use of the discharge tube 40 is-preferred since its smaller more restricted diameter provides a jet having a velocity which will be greater than the velocity of the air through the arm 34 and passages 38 and 39, thus minimizing surface friction of the air passing therethrough while at the same time providing the desirable jet velocity to propel the airplane properly. The airplane corned, except that no counterweight is employed L and the vehicle follows its circle of rotation with its wheels in contact with the supporting surface. It will be apparent that the entire structure above the level of the discs I3, except, of 7 course, for the upper portion of the pin l5, revolves about the axis of the pin It. This includes the tube I8 and tubular member 26 and during rotation of thedevice, the tubular member 26 engages the finger 58, thus imparting movement to the arm 53 and motorcycle 52.

During thejet operation of the automobile 50, therefore, the motorcyclewill follow at a fixed distance and will simulate the act of a motorcycle policeman following a vehicle exceeding the speed limit.

As the balloon becomes deflated, the automobile 50 will start to decelerate, and since the frictional resistance to movement of the automobile 50 will be greater than the frictional resistance to movement of themotorcycle 52, the, latter will start to overtake the automobile 50 until it reaches the dotted line position shown inFigure 4. Relative movement of the two vehicles will be stopped at such point by engagement of one of the fingers 69 with the tube 34. The two vehicles will come to rest in such relative position, and thus will completely simulate the action of a motorcycle policeman stopping a motorist for some violation of traflic regulations.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present toy is simple and relatively economical to manufacture and that it may be easily operated wholly without cost for replacement of pressure cylinders, chemicals or the like. The balloon 2| may be repeatedly inflated so that the child may operate the toy as frequently as desired.

The use of the balloon as the source of jet pressure is preferred for the reasons given. Because of its bulk and wind resistance if bodily movable, the balloon is placed at the axis of rotation and thus is subject solely to a slight degree of surface friction of the air moving relatively against the surface thereof, This surface friction, minor at most, is minimized by the fact that the balloon is constantly being reduced in size during the operation of the toy. Therefore, with a balloon of moderate size the toy will remain in operation for a considerable period of time. When the balloon is completely deflated, it is supported against falling downwardly and dragging by means of the supporting spring 23, and accordingly the inertia of the toy, if reasonably accurately made, will keep the vehicle in operation several seconds after the balloon is completely deflated.

I claim:

1. A toy comprising a thimble, a yoke supported for rotation on a vertical axis and having arms connected to said thimble to support the latter for rocking movement on a horizontal axis, an arm connected at one end to said thimble perpendicular to said horizontal axis and extending radially outwardly of said thimble, a vehicle connected to the other end of said arm for movement over a supporting surface around a circle having its center at said vertical axis, a jet nozzle carried by said vehicle and adapted to discharge a fluid jet in a direction tangential to a circle having its center at said vertical axis, a source of pressure fluid carried by said thimble and communicating with said jet, and a single pin supporting said yoke for rotation on said vertical axis.

2. A toy comprising a thimble supported for rotation on a vertical axis, an arm connected at one end to said thimble, a vehicle connected to the other end of said arm for movement over a supporting surface around a circle having its center at said axis, a jet nozzle carried by said vehicle and adapted to discharge a fluid jet in a direction tangential to a circle having its center at said axis, an elastic inflatable pressure fluid source having a neck at one end fitting over said thimble whereby said source is in open communication with the interior of said thimble, there being a passage affording communication between the interior of said thimble and said nozzle, all of the foregoing elements being flxed relative to each other and constituting a unit, and a single pin forming said axis and having mechanical connection with said thimble for supporting said unit for rotation on such axis.

. 3. A toy comprising a thimble having a closed lower end and an open upper end, means for supporting said thimble for rotation on a vertical axis, a tubular arm fixed at one end to said thimble and having a passage therethrough communicating with the interior of said thimble,

' said arm being relatively straight and projecting a unit, and such elements being fixed relative to each other, said supporting means comprising a single pin,

4. A toy comprising a thimble having a closed lower end and an open upper end, means for supporting said thimble for rotation on a vertical axis, a tubular arm fixed at one end to said thimble and having a passage therethrough communicating with the interior of said thimble, said arm being relatively straight and projecting radially outwardly from said thimble, a wheeled vehicle carried by the other end of said arm for movement around a circle predetermined by rotation of said arm about said axis, said vehicle having a fluid passage communicating with the passage through said arm and terminating in a jet nozzle substantially tangential to a circle having its center at said axis, an inflatable elastic pressure source having a neck portion at one end fitting over said thimble in a communication with the interior thereof, all of the foregoing elements except said supporting means constituting a unit, and such elements being fixed relative to each other, said supporting means comprising a single pin.

5. A toy comprising a thimble supported for rotation on a vertical axis, an arm connected at one end to said thimble, a vehicle connected to the other end of said arm for movement over a supporting surface around a circle having its center at said axis, means for propelling said vehicle around a circle having its center at said axis, a second arm, a sleeve to which said second arm is connected, said sleeve rotatably surrounding said thimble, a second vehicle carried by said second arm, and means for limiting rotation of said sleeve relative to said thimble whereby ro-' tation of said thimble will efi'ect rotation of said second arm with said second vehicle following behind flrst-named vehicle.

DANIEL C. DOZIER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

